“Mr. Cottam said that incidents of urination and defecation on the land outside the cathedral had continued. This was harmful to the life of the cathedral. Employees were now often engaged in cleaning up after these incidents, which, said Mr. Cottam, are “detrimental to the operation of the cathedral as a place of worship…” Graffiti was still appearing on the cathedral. Disruption to services was also continuing.”

Mr. Justice Lindblom

The Occupy encampment at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London was immensely disruptive. The camps and people involved transformed this religious & public gathering place into grounds for protest, disrupting the daily lives of those attending worship, tourists, employees, and pedestrians. The camp created significant issues with noise, sanitation, and safety. Many problems arose from urination and defecation on and around the cathedral, as well as many noise complaints from persistent noise–disrupting religious services and daily operations. The conditions here damaged the calm historic setting of the cathedral and discouraged visitors and religious people from entering, causing a notable drop in attendance and revenue for St. Paul’s.